A. V. Laider By Max Beerbohm This edition is written in English. However, there is a running Persian thesaurus at the bottom of each page for the more difficult English words highlighted in the text. There are many editions of A.V. Laider. This edition would be useful if you would like to enrich your Persian-English vocabulary, whether for self-improvement or for preparation in advanced of college examinations. Webster's edition of this classic is organized to expose the reader to a maximum number of difficult and potentially ambiguous English words. Rare or idiosyncratic words and expressions are given lower priority compared to "difficult, yet commonly used" English words. Rather than supply a single translation, many words are translated for a variety of meanings in Persian, allowing readers to better grasp the ambiguity of English without using the notes as a pure translation crutch We are delighted to publish this classic book as part of our extensive Classic Library collection. Many of the books in our collection have been out of print for decades, and therefore have not been accessible to the general public. The aim of our publishing program is to facilitate rapid access to this vast reservoir of literature, and our view is that this is a significant literary work, which deserves to be brought back into print after many decades. The contents of the vast majority of titles in the Classic Library have been scanned from the original works. To ensure a high quality product, each title has been meticulously hand curated by our staff. Our philosophy has been guided by a desire to provide the reader with a book that is as close as possible to ownership of the original work. We hope that you will enjoy this wonderful classic work, and that for you it becomes an enriching experience.
An excellent short story that held my interest through to the end. It takes a lovely twist and has a slightly ironic ending--which is always pleasing in a short work.
This short story is largely an exercise in conversational wit while embedding a deeper question about the basic human curiosity. The curiosity of the first-person "I" in this story is the one to be examined carefully since it defies the self-proclaimed disbelief. How does one "be taken" by stories told in a particular fashion? How does the disbelief giving ways to fascination and mystery? The author has demonstrated the art of story-telling pitting successfully against our cooler reasoning -- it is the atmosphere, the foreshadowing, the details, and the way an outright impossiblity woven into our psyche. This story is a purely jewel in short-story form.
This one contains a real fantasy, if you will, in that the title character is a fabulist, a spinner of tales — in other words, an unreliable narrator. The plot depends on a series of remarkable coincidences.
The undisclosed first person narrator of the story is as frustrated by the antics of A.V. Laider as the reader might be.
Amazing by all means. The narrator goes to a motel to complete his recovery after catching influenza and runs into Laider and they speculate on existential questions on free will and the truth. Laider narrates two stories that conflate reality with imagination, and by the end the reader is muddled up, not knowing what to believe and what to discard. Very witty twist and a very interesting story to read indeed.
This short story was one of my favorites this semester. It is incredibly imaginative and it plays with your mind. I can't believe that there are other people that create stories this way and share them as if they were true! I just do it in my head.
I don't think I could give such a slight story 5 stars, though it's perfect of its kind. It reminded me of looking in a mirror with a mirror behind you, and so on and so on.
A gentle, amusing and mischievous short story. The imagined discussion between the envelopes on the hotel letter board is as humorous as it is ridiculous. Fun to read.
This story is taken from Seven Men, copyright 1920
I unpacked my things and went down to await luncheon.
Two of Beerbohm's self-portraits. "The Theft" depicts him stealing a book from the library in 1894. "The Restitution" shows him returning that book in 1920. (wiki pic)
absurdist literature
3*
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.